I’m always on the hunt for new styling tips. Of course I love to learn and grow and get better at my job and I never know where I’m going to pick up my next amazing tidbit of information that I can learn and pass along.
A couple of weeks ago I was scrolling through Pinterest and an article on Stylecaster called 101 fashion tips and tricks every girl should know popped into my feed. My interest was peaked.
I read through all 101 styling tips and enjoyed them so much that I wanted to share them with you—with my two cents added of course.
101 tips is dense, so I’ve narrowed the shared tips below to my favourite 18. My intention is to highlight my favourites on the list and make them easier to consume.
All the tips are written word for word as seen in the Stylecaster article and my comments are in italics beside their styling tips. I hope you love these as much as I do.
The Styling Tips
101. Despite what it says on the tag, cashmere is best washed by hand. To dry it, use a salad spinner, which releases excess water in seconds.
{I rarely wash wools choosing to hang them to air out and spot clean when I can. I’ve made the mistake (once!) of putting a cashmere sweater in the delicate cycle in a laundry bag, which totally ruined the sweater. I suggest forgoing the machine and following this amazing tip instead!)
99. Wash new jeans twice before taking them to the tailor. Why? Because jeans will always shrink in length when washed.
{I recommend washing anything you’re going to have tailored once, not just jeans. If you want to do it twice, I guess you never can be too careful.}
93. The secret to well-fitting everyday clothes is Lycra. The formulas to look for: 95% cotton/5% Lycra spandex for T-shirts, and at least 2% Lycra for jeans to hold their shape.
{Lycra is such a blessing! If you find waistbands pinch in and create a shape that’s not really yours, Lycra in a waistband is a great choice, too!}
84. Dressy occasions aren’t the time to play with trends, so know your silhouette and stick to it to always look your best.
{Yes! You can play with different designs within your most comfortable silhouette for variation.}
81. Snap clip-on earrings onto flats for an instant evening shoe, or onto shirt collars for DIY embellishments.
{I hadn’t thought of this idea and absolutely love it. Finding ornate vintage clip-ons is a really easy task that could change up the look of your most basic shoes.}
75. Double-stick tape work to shorten a hem in a pinch if you can’t get to the tailor before an event.
{This trick works so well, I’ve been known to use it more often than I probably should!}
64. Revamp an old coat by swapping out the buttons and having a tailor replace the lining with something eye-catching, like a pattern or a bright color.
{Of all the styling tips, this is one of the easiest ways to create a custom garment that feels perfectly suited to you.}
63. When getting jeans shortened, always ask your tailor to reattach the original hem. It may cost extra, but it’s worth it.
{This is called a french hem and makes the jeans look like you purchased them off-the-rack.}
55. When you’re shopping for a jacket, coat, or blazer, pay attention to the fit around the shoulders. While a tailor can tweak pretty much everything about the fit of a jacket—from tapering the waist to shortening it—they can’t change the shoulders. Make sure the seams sit perfectly at the bony tops of your shoulders.
{If your shoulders don’t fit a garment will look like it’s wearing you rather than the other way around. The effect of this is that people see the garment first and lose you under it. Never a good thing, we want to see you!}
52. Always dry-clean coats before storing them, and place on cedar hangers inside cloth garment bags. This preserves the fabric and keeps moths away.
{The importance of this small step became clear to me when I was going through my granny’s vintage dresses that she thought were clean when she put them away, but water marks had turned into brown stains over the years. It’s pretty crazy the stains that appear over time from simple things like skin oils and water.}
46. Ideally, a pencil skirt should hit just at the top of your knee. Any lower and it will start to shorten your leg.
{Although midi skirts come in and out of fashion, a to-the-knee pencil skirt is a timeless piece that will flatter any height.}
45. Don’t underestimate the power of a well-fitting, stylish winter coat. You can be wearing pajamas underneath and you’ll still look perfectly put together.
{I’m a huge advocate of this styling tip. If you spend an entire winter shopping budget on your winter coat I would totally support that.}
25. A modern trick to looking like the most effortlessly stylish girl in the room: Pair dressy bottoms (a velvet maxi, a leather or beaded skirt, silk pants) with a worn gray crew-neck sweatshirt or T-shirt.
{Juxtaposition like this always has a way of making you look like you are an expert styler. You could also try oxfords or runners with a dress or a sequin blazer with jeans or high heels with jogging pants.
22. The easiest way to make your closet look organized: Buy all the same hangers for everything–same color, same shape.
{It can be that simple!}
17. Pile on good accessories—scarves, sunglasses, hats, statement jewelry—to instantly transform even the most basic outfit.
{Check out J.Crew styling for inspiration on this one.}
14. After a shower, use your hairdryer to de-mist bathroom mirrors in seconds.
{I seriously thought I discovered this trick when I was thirteen. Perhaps I didn’t actually discover it, but I’ve been happily using it for years!}
9. Who has the time to hand wash bras? Machine wash them in cold water in a mesh zipper bag and drape them over a hanger to air dry.
{Um, exactly. I’m sure your lingerie specialist would not agree with this, but honestly this simplifies intimate washing so so much the cost/benefit isn’t worth the hand washing in my opinion.}
3. A good shoemaker can fully rebuild your favorite pair, even if the arch is cracked.
{I think it’s important to specify that the shoe needs to be well-built to begin with. Inexpensive shoes are great, but not worth trying to rebuild/the shoemaker won’t be able to do much for you.}
Now it’s your turn!
Which of these styling tips is your favourite? Do you have any other styling tips you’d love to share with me? Please do so in the comments below!
Very helpful. Thank you.
Happy to hear!